Scattered Pieces of Yesterday
by LaDyPaRaNoiD
Summary: Quall (add to the not-so-high pile) A Sorceress who is not a Sorceress. A SeeD who is not a SeeD. Betrayal born by Revenge. Death gives birth to life. Those who forget can forgive and be forgiven. R
1. Take Away a Piece of Me

A SeeD who is not a SeeD. A Sorceress who is not a Sorceress. How will the five SeeDs know who is to be trusted? The wrong decision might just result into the end of the world.

AN: this is not post-game. Most of the details will sound the same but some aren't. well, for example, Squall is NOT with Rinoa.(I'm in denial, so sue me). Really, I get so annoyed when I imagine them together. Nothing against Rinoa. But she's definitely annoying.

1: Take Away a Piece of Me

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Quistis Trepe leaned heavily against the wall as she remembered her last meeting with the Headmaster. She closed her eyes and put a hand to her forehead.

_"I'm sorry, Quistis but I have to take back your Instructor license."_

_She had gone pale then. "My…my license? Why?"_

_"This is a direct order from the President himself. He had you evaluated and decided that you lacked leadership ability, therefore unsuited to be a qualified Instructor."_

_"The president? Is it because I failed Seifer? He can't do that just because I failed his son! Seifer went against direct orders and almost caused the death of three other cadets!"_

_"I'm sorry, Quistis…"_

"Sorry? Sorry? I'll show you who doesn't have leadership ability! What kind of a President is he anyway? Blaming other people for his own son's incompetence!"

"He'll have you hanged if he heard you talking like this." A voice said dryly.

Quistis jumped. She looked around, not expecting to see anyone around the Garden at such an hour.

Squall stepped out from the shadows and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, Squall. Um…didn't expect you out so late." She said, turning pink.

The commander of the SeeD didn't say anything. He continued to walk past her, heading towards the Training Centre. He usually practiced there around midnight as he was too busy in the day to do so.

The Garden SeeD was a group of people destined to fight the Sorceress—evil Sorceress. The first generation of SeeDs was Squall, Quistis, Zell, Selphie and Irvine. They were the only SeeDs in the world. They came from different backgrounds and different places all over the world.

Squall Leonhart was from Esthar. He was President of Esthar's son and the Commander of the SeeDs. Quistis Trepe and Zell Dincht were from Balamb City. Unlike Zell, who had a home and a family in the city, she was an orphan. She had lived in Balamb Garden all her life and was the first to become a SeeD. A year later, she was promoted to Instructor but due to certain circumstances, she had adopted the role of a SeeD in order to aide her friends in a battle against the Sorceress. Selphie Tillmitt, easily the most cheerful and carefree member of the five was from Trabia, a snowy region far to the North. She came to Balamb Garden for the SeeD test almost at the same time as Irvine Kinneas, a sharp-shooter from the isolated Galbadia. Maybe that was why they had been do close ever since.

Almost a year ago, they had their first battle with a Sorceress--the most feared Sorceress throughout the ages. 

Sorceress Ultimecia.

Thinking about that, Quistis almost shuddered with relief. Sorceress Ultimecia was hell bent in controlling time and thus having the ultimate control of the fate of the world. The five SeeDs had fought till the bitter end and through their journey, much has happened—deaths of those they loved, betrayal of those they trust and sometimes, the discoveries of long-suppressed feelings.

But even through all the trials, they remained loyal towards each other not only because they were fighting for a common goal nor because they were mercenaries with the same mission but they were loyal for the honour of the bond they created throughout their ordeal. The bond that was the pillar of their strength, one that has kept them going even when the times were hard and ultimately, one that made it possible to defeat Ultimecia.

It was the bond of friendship. It was a priceless treasure.

"Are you going to the Training Centre?" Quistis asked in present time. "Can I come? I need to vent."

She watched as Squall stopped walking and glanced back at her. He shrugged.

"Whatever." They both said at the same time. Squall frowned in annoyance while Quistis hid a small smile.

It was a game they constantly played. He would say something and she would finish his sentence for him. She had known Squall for a long time and always teased him as being as predictable as a romance novel. Of course, she was the only one who can get away with saying that to him.

"My Instructor license was taken away." She said as they arrived at the entrance of the Training Centre. With a distressed look at the heavy metal door, she continued, "they said I had no leadership ability. Maybe they were right. Maybe I don't. Maybe it was personal dislike that I failed Seifer. Maybe it was my fault that I have hurt the pride of the carrier of the Almasy name. But it's not fair. I love teaching. I love being an Instructor and feeling proud when my student succeeded in being a SeeD, knowing that I was the one that made him. Being Instructor…was everything to me. Now, there's nothing in my life anymore. And it's all because of him.

"Don't get me wrong. I've never hated Seifer. He was an excellent fighter, skills that certainly rivaled yours, Squall. But he was too proud. He liked to act without thinking of the consequences and he has a problem with receiving orders. It was all these things that he lacked that deprived him of the right to be called a SeeD."

Squall glanced sideways at her and shook his head slightly. "Don't sound like you are making excuses. Do you regret the decision you made?"

"I…no, I didn't regret it. I was being just and fair when I handed in the result."

"Then why are you still talking about it?" he then walked away and left her to contemplate the point he had just made.

_He's right._ She thought._ I had done the right thing, in honour of the SeeD. If it meant losing my license, then I'll just have to accept it._

But still the hollow feeling she had in the pit of her stomach could not be rid. Her license, it meant a lot to her. Taking it away was like taking away a piece of her. She loved knowing that she was trusted, appreciated and loved by her students. She needed that. Needed the warmth of affection in her world of loneliness.

She needed to know that she was needed. Because nobody always seemed to.

Indeed, the price of honour is a lot to pay.

~@~~@~~@~

The next day, Quistis reported to the Headmaster's office as usual. Even if she was no longer an Instructor, she was still a SeeD. And it has been awhile since her last mission.

Squall, Zell and Irvine were already there when she arrived. Headmaster Cid gave her an uncomfortable look and paced the carpeted floor restlessly as they waited for Selphie.

When the sweet-faced SeeD came bounding in, the Headmaster took out a few pieces of paper. He cleared his throat and looked at each of their faces but avoiding Quistis' eyes.

"We have received a very peculiar request for SeeD from Dollet. Last night, a report came from the Dollet officials. It seemed that a SeeD has made an appearance there."

"A SeeD? Who? I thought we were the only SeeDs." Quistis said.

"Well, as it said from the report, the SeeD claimed that he came from the future and was here in pursue of a stray Sorceress escaping through the Time Compression."

"From the future? Really?" asked Irvine sceptically.

Headmaster Cid nodded. "Yes, that's why I need some of you to go verify this situation and report back to me immediately."

"Sounds wacky." Selphie commented and earned a smirk from Irvine.

"Selphie, please. This is serious matter. I need action to be taken immediately." Headmaster Cid nodded in Squall's direction. "Squall."

"Quistis, Zell and I will go. The rest will wait here for any further orders." Squall glanced around to see that everyone was in agreement. He saluted to the Headmaster and motioned for Quistis and Zell to follow him.

They understood. They were to leave immediately. This was not a matter to be taken lightly. If the mysterious SeeD had been telling the truth, then it meant that the world is once again under the threat of a Sorceress.

All thoughts of her license were pushed to the back of her mind.

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A bit repetitive and pointless, don't you think? I thought this chapter's a bit boring but it's necessary that I write it to avoid any confusion. It gets better, I promise.


	2. Take My Hand

2: Take My Hand

The uniform was different. His was dark blue, made with a shiny material that none of them recognised. On his side was a gunblade although the model looked different and way too advanced to be compared to Lion Heart. He was tall, black-haired and with ominous grey eyes.

He saluted to them. "Commander Leonhart. It's an honour to meet you. You're a great figure, a revolutionist that shaped the world into what it will be in my time."

Squall frowned. He didn't like the way the SeeD had said that he was a revolutionist. _What's that supposed to mean anyway?_

"Division 13 SeeD, Reyes Leads, sir." The SeeD continued.

_He certainly went to great lengths to appear genuine._ Squall thought. He didn't reply to Leads for a full minute as he quickly ran the situation through his mind.

_If he's a fake, then we'll just send him to the officials for wasting our time. As if we don't have anything better to do than to entertain some lame wannabe._

_On the other hand, if he was telling the truth…_

"What proof have you that you are who you say you are?" 

"I doubt that I can show any proof that might convince you. I can only give you my word that everything I will tell you is the truth."

_What the…is this guy serious? No proof, just his word. I'm crazy if I believed him. But then, sometimes the craziest person made the best decision._

Squall shook his head and put a gloved hand to his forehead. This situation clearly baffled him and he had no idea what his next move should be. He can't afford to go on a wild goose chase and yet, he still couldn't dismiss Leads so easily either.

"Squall?" Quistis was tugging at his sleeve. She looked up at him and pursed her lips. "We're going to have to live with that for the time being. Let's hear his story first."

He hesitated. 

_Oh, heck…_

"Very well. SeeD, Reyes Leads, please present your report." It was a dangerous move, acknowledging that he's a SeeD. But what the heck, they're already half-convinced.

"I am from the time 500 years to come. In my time, Sorceresses are running rampant in the world, destroying everything in their paths. There were hundreds of them, and most of them are as powerful as Ultimecia. The SeeDs have led the war against Sorceresses for more than fifty years when one of them, Sorceress Millennia, found a way to use the Time Compression to escape to the past. Her main objective is clear: to destroy the first generation of SeeDs so that the future SeeDs will cease to exist. Therefore, it is crucial that I track down Sorceress Millennia and kill her before she succeeds."

"Oh, man! When will this Sorceress thing stop? Even after 500 years, we still can't get rid of them." Zell complained and rested his fists on his hips.

"It's our fate to fight Sorceress all our lives." Quistis murmured quietly. Sadly. She had accepted the fact that they weren't meant to be ordinary. She loved being a SeeD, knowing that she and her friends gambled their lives for peace. But she couldn't help thinking what her life would be if she hadn't been a SeeD.

She thought that her life was perfect enough as it is. Before the fight against Ultimecia, she was happy with her current position, the first SeeD, a respected Instructor, and most of all, she was happy that she got to fight alongside with Squall. 

But after that, her life seemed to deteriorate. She lost her Instructor license, her passion for her SeeD mission was gone and what saddened her most was Squall. The two of them seemed to drift apart after he was promoted to Commander. He was always busy with work and she, her students.

She had done a lot of thinking for the past couple of days and realized that growing up also meant growing apart. She could still remember the first day she met Squall. She was perhaps eight that time and she remembered Edea bringing in a sullen-faced boy into the class and introducing him as Squall Leonhart.

It was maybe because Squall had seemed so passive that Quistis had taken him into her wings. She had thought that someone so quiet must need her protection. After all, she was one of Edea's best students. Anyone who dared bully the new boy would have to hear from her after that.

So every other kid in Garden stayed away. Except for Seifer, of course. He was always the one to make fun of Squall, calling him Puberty Boy, and taunting him whenever he saw Squall walking with Quistis.

_"What's the matter, Puberty Boy? Can't you go anywhere without your mother? Ooh, Quisty! Please protect me from the big, bad bullies! I can't possibly stand up for myself because I'm a wimp and I need a girl to take care of me!"_

Before Quistis could say anything, Squall had already jumped on Seifer, tossing a punch into his jaw. After recovering from his momentary shock, Seifer retaliated by throwing his fist into Squall's stomach. Pretty soon, both boys were rolling on the floor, screaming and struggling to hit each other.

Quistis just stood there, astonished to see that Squall indeed did not need her protection after all. 

It was Edea that had to pull them apart. She had punished both boys to kitchen duty for a whole week and also reprimanded Quistis for not stopping them.

Since then, she and Squall were inseparable. Even when she was his Instructor, she still couldn't help feeling that she needed to protect him. He was like a lost soul, in need of a hand to hold on to and she had always made sure that she had a hand extended to him.

He never took it. No matter how close she was with him, there were still parts of him that she couldn't reach. And now, the gap between them seemed wider than ever.

"Aah, Quistis! What's wrong with you lately? You've been so down!" Zell exclaimed, snapping her back to the present.

Quistis gave him a quick smile. "It's nothing. Really. So what is our next move, Commander?"

"Firstly, we'll need to report back to Garden. Leads, you'll be coming with us to Balamb Garden. We will decide what our next move will be then."

Suddenly, the Conference Room's door burst open and Selphie ran in, tailed by Irvine. 

"Hi, you guys! Glad I caught you on time!" Selphie exclaimed breathlessly.

"What are you doing here?" Quistis asked, surprised. 

Squall was frowning at both of the SeeD. "I thought I told you to remain at Garden. Article 3, paragraph 24 stated that—"

"—all SeeDs must remain at their post until orders from the Commander telling us to do otherwise." Quistis interrupted, rolling her eyes. Squall shot her an irritated look.

"This is hardly the time, Quistis. We are still on a mission—"

"—and it's our duty to complete it. Yeah, okay, Squall. But maybe Selphie and Irvine have something important to tell us."

"We do! We do!"

Squall sighed and shifted to rest on one foot, one hand on his hips. He looked at Selphie in a disapproving frown and said, "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong! Everything's fine. It's just that, Headmaster Cid just received orders from the President to send SeeDs to Deling City for an important mission."

"What kind of mission?" Quistis asked suspiciously.

"To escort the General's daughter to Balamb for her engagement party with his son." Irvine said, smirking.

"What!" Quistis exclaimed indignantly. "What does he think we are? Some kind of Social Escort Service? If he wanted escorts, why can't he just send his guards? We are SeeDs and I—"

"Quistis…" Squall said in warning. Selphie, Zell and Irvine were staring at her in amazement. They'd never seen her lost her cool before and this made Quistis embarrassed.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled shamefully, hanging her head.

"So," Squall cleared his throat. "Zell, you and Irvine will escort Leads back to Balamb Garden. Selphie and Quistis are coming with me to Deling."

Quistis swiveled her head to look at Squall sharply.

_He can't be serious._ She thought. _Why can't he just send Zell and __Irvine__ to Deling and he himself bring Leads to Balamb?_

She couldn't believe that Squall would choose a small mission over one that might hold the possible threat of another Sorceress into this world. It was so unlike him that she began to get suspicious.


	3. Don't Hurt Me

Yuki: heehee. I'm so happy with the positive feedback. Didn't expect so many reviews for my first ff8 fanfic. This chapter's gonna focus more on exploration on Quistis' and Squall's relationship. I wrote and rewrote this chapter so many times, it was completely different from what I originally had in mind. Besides, I'm not good at writing romantic scenes. 0_o . So forgive me if it's not very good. ^_^ but this is one of favourite chappie yet.

P/s: don't worry. Squall wanted to accept this mission NOT because he's in love with Rinoa. Never! 

3: Don't Hurt Me

"Quisty! Sefie! Squall! I'm so glad to see you guys!" Rinoa Heartilly exclaimed happily as she ran down the stairs of the mansion towards them. She hugged both Quistis and Selphie tightly and turned to Squall to give him his own share of hugs. Quistis had a hard time keeping a straight face as Squall pulled away, looking uncomfortable.

"It's been awhile since we last seen each other, Rinoa." Quistis said, smiling warmly at the raven-haired beauty.

"Yeah, since I was possessed by the Sorceress." Rinoa replied quietly. Her eyes were cast downwards as she remembered the awful experience.

"Oh, Rinny! I missed you soo much!" Selphie jumped up and gave Rinoa another tight hug. The older girl just laughed.

"You haven't changed one bit, Sefie." She looked over at Quistis, whose smile seemed strained and then at the grim-faced Squall.

"You look tired, Quistis. You haven't been working her too hard, have you, Squall? Or did you two have a fight, hm?" 

Squall scowled. "I haven't—"

"It's nothing, Rinoa. Squall's always like that. And I'm just tired from all this traveling. Don't worry about it." Quistis interrupted.

"Oh, but surely you won't be too tired for the party tonight, will you?"

"Party? What party?" Quistis asked in confusion. Rinoa stared at her strangely.

"My birthday party, remember? You _are _here for my party, aren't you?"

"Of course we are." Squall said before Quistis and Selphie could answer. He shot them both a warning look. Quistis blinked. Clearly, Squall didn't want Rinoa to know the real reason they were there.

"Great! Come on, you two! We need to go up and change! It's about to start." Hooking her arms around Quistis' and Selphie's back, she steered the two girls towards her room, chatting happily about the party.

Quistis managed to glance back at Squall but he seemed deep in thought.

_What's on your mind, Squall? What's your secret this time?_

~@~~@~~@~

"Quisty, why don't you let you hair down?"

"Excuse me?" Quistis said with indignation. "Are you trying to say that I'm too uptight?"

They were in Rinoa's room and it was a complete mess. Clothes were scattered everywhere and bottles of perfumes littered the white dressing table. Shoes and boxes of jewellery were pushed to one end of the lushly carpeted room and the three girls were standing on the other end of the room, the only place where they could actually see the carpet.

Rinoa giggled at Quistis' expression. "I didn't mean that. I just meant that you should take your hairclip off."

"No, thank you. I'd prefer not to have my hair all over my face." 

Rinoa raised an eyebrow and looked meaningfully at Selphie. "Okay, Selphie! Grab her!"

Selphie ran over and jumped on Quistis, making them both topple onto Rinoa's bed. Quistis screamed as Selphie pinned her hand on her back while Rinoa plucked the hairclip that held her hair off. The one under attack struggled while ordering them to stop immediately.

Quistis rolled on her back and grabbed both her attacker. She smiled evilly and threw them on the bed while pushing herself off it. Selphie yelled "Whoo-hoo!" and tried to lunge after her but Quistis quickly evaded and Selphie landed on the floor with a loud crash.

Rinoa giggled uncontrollably at Quistis who was standing over them, glaring down at them with annoyance. "That was low, girlfriend, and you're going to pay!" Quistis reached down and tickled Rinoa until tears streamed down her face and she begged her to stop.

Quistis finally let go and snatched up her hairclip from the bed, laughing as Rinoa gasped for breath. "That should teach you!"

"Don't put your hair up, Quisty, please? I really like seeing your hair like that. Even if you won't borrow any of my dresses, the least you could do is grant me this little favour." Rinoa said, looking at her pleadingly.

Quistis rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to borrow any of your dresses because they're all way to short, Rin. But anyway, I guess I can 'let my hair down' for one night. Just this time, okay? And only because I didn't get you a present for your birthday."

"My dresses are NOT too short! They're quite long, mind you!" Rinoa protested loudly, pulling the hem of her gold-trimmed white dress self-consciously.

"Wow, if that white piece of number you're wearing is long, I'd hate to see a 'short' one." Quistis teased, pointing to Rinoa's dress.

That's the spirit!" Selphie exclaimed, getting up. She beamed at the other two girls, apparently unaware of the conversation the other two had just shared.. "I'm okay, everyone! No reason to worry!"

And then all three of them burst into laughter.

~@~~@~~@~

The party was in full swing when the three girls descended down the stairs—well, Selphie hopped down every two steps so just Rinoa and Quistis descended. Every eye in the room turned to look at the birthday girl as she smiled brightly at her guests.

"Welcome all to my party! Please enjoy yourselves!" she said cheerfully. Her eyes scanned the room but the person she was looking for didn't seem to be there. She sighed in disappointment. "So he didn't come."

"Who?" Quistis asked.

"Nothing! Come on! Let's dance, Quisty!" Rinoa said brightly and pulled Quistis to the dance floor. Quistis' blonde tresses flew as Rinoa spun and twirled her. They both laughed as Rinoa almost stumbled on Quistis's boots.

"Who's leading, Rin?"

"I assume you'd lead because you're taller."

Rinoa suddenly stopped in the middle of the dance floor and pulled Quistis to the edge of the room. Quistis just followed obligingly until she saw Squall leaning on a pillar and frowning at them as they approached him.

"Squall, would you mind dancing with Quistis? I seem to dance better with the member of the opposite sex and I can't possibly leave her without a dance partner." She said, her eyes twinkling playfully at Quistis.

"I don't dance." Squall muttered, echoed by Quistis. She made a face at him.

"You don't do anything but frown and brood and think about how to solve the world's problem." She pointed out. 

Squall scowled at her. "I do not." He said defensively.

"Hey, you two! Are you just going to stand here all night arguing? C'mon, Squall! Be a gentleman and ask Quistis to dance." Rinoa urged.

Squall ignored her and looked away pointedly. Quistis almost laughed as Rinoa narrowed her eyes at Squall. _Well, he _was_ being rude. She thought._

Suddenly, Rinoa grabbed Squall's hand and pulled him towards the dance floor. Probably surprised, Squall didn't protest as Quistis was pushed into his arms.

"You'd better dance or I'll—I'll—I'll—or else!" Rinoa exclaimed.

"Humour her." Quistis whispered as she led Squall to the center. Squall sighed in defeat and took Quistis' outstretched hand.

As they danced, Quistis was pleased to know that Squall was as great a dancer as he was a swordsman. He moved with confidence and ease—but he avoided her eyes when he was dancing so even though they moved with perfect synch, it still felt stiff and practiced.

He was distant. They were in the same room and yet, they were continents apart. They had known each other for a long time and yet, she barely knew him. In his own way, he was pushing her away. He always did that. Simply by concealing something from her and making it known that he was deliberately doing it. 

_He was mocking me._

~_Just stay away~_

The message was clear.

But she wouldn't.

She couldn't.

Quistis suddenly twirled away from him, still holding Squall's hand. He was surprised. She flipped her hair and stared at him defiantly, daring him to meet her cerulean gaze.

_That's it, Squall. Say something! Say anything! Just stop ignoring me! Do you know how much it hurts to not be able to get close to you? Hyne, I've tried, Squall. Tried to understand you. Tried to break your shield. Tried so hard that I was beginning to despair. When will you ever trust me—trust _anyone?_ When will you ever stop looking through__ me and just plain look at __me?_

 She spun back into his arms but suddenly stumbled. How humiliating. But Squall quickly reached out to steady her, snaking an arm around Quistis' waist. He pulled her closer until their faces were only inches apart. Quistis held her breath. Squall still refused to look at her directly. 

If this was a game, she would have already thrown up her remaining cards with frustration. How can you win against a block of ice anyway?

But since this wasn't, she decided to be direct. To hell with beating around the bush. The ice refused to crack. And honesty was something that Quistis never had a problem with.

"Squall, is something bothering you?" she asked quietly, forcing him to meet her eyes.

Squall looked down at her and an intense expression crossed his face but was gone as quickly as it had appeared. He let go of Quistis' hand and ran it through his hair irritably. "Can we talk?" he asked.

Quistis blinked. "Talk? Here?" this doesn't sound good. But wasn't that what she wanted?

Taking her hand, Squall led her towards the balcony. "No, here." He replied as he closed the glass doors shut, effectively blocking in the music.

Quistis smiled nervously at him. She was alone…with Squall. When was the last time that had happened? Still, he wanted to talk. And 'talk' wasn't what Squall often does.

In a way, it was strange. He was never comfortable if he was alone, with her. She'd made it pretty clear that her feelings for him weren't those of a close friend's, or even those of a sister's. Not even close. Her feelings ran deeper than the childhood friend, brother-to-sister or SeeD to SeeD bond. Deeper still than her feelings for anything else.

And he'd made it clear that _his _feelings were just bordering somewhere along the co-workers and tolerable companies line. Never further. And now, he actually _wanted_ to be alone with her. Without having to threaten him or drag him by the collar to do so.

Hmm. Maybe she should check if the temperature in Hell has dropped or something. 

She waited for him to say something but he was busy staring up at the sky while leaning against the railing. She crossed, then uncrossed her arms uncomfortably as impatience crept in. silently, Quistis wondered what he could possibly say that he couldn't have said inside.

Maybe he never wanted to 'talk'. Maybe, all along, he was just playing with her, waiting for the next opportunity to laugh at what an idiot she was.

An idiot because she had fallen for Squall Leonhart, Incurable Cold-hearted Syndrome.

_What are you trying to prove? That you can lead me on and strand me when I'm full of hope?_

She was crazy. She was thinking like a crazy person. She knew Squall wasn't like that. The best bet was that he didn't even care about her feelings. Which wasn't the most comforting alternative in the world. But still.

"So…you wanted to talk?" she said finally, evenly. Her tone was surprisingly neutral—considering the fact that she felt like hitting him and hugging him at the same time.

She was a mess of emotions, a jumble of nerves, and a picture of perfect calm all rolled into one.

Squall glanced at her briefly. "Well, it's about the Sorceress."

_Oh. So it's about work._ Quistis didn't know if she should feel relieved or disappointed. The urge to hit him was becoming stronger.

"If the Sorceress from the future really did arrive here, don't you think that she'd already found herself a home—a body to occupy?"

Quistis contemplated this for a while. "Well, I suppose…" then she started. She looked at Squall sharply. Suddenly, it all made sense. Squall offering to escort Rinoa, his strange manner around Rinoa and his colder than usual attitude.

"You don't mean…Rinoa?" she asked, horrified.

Squall looked away. "She was a Sorceress before."

"Squall! How could you even—! No, I don't believe that Rinoa is Sorceress Millennia. How can you even suggest—"

"Quistis, listen to yourself! You're ruling out the possibility just because Rinoa is your friend. How can you forget your duty as a SeeD?"

"SeeD? What about friend? We are Rinoa's friends, Squall!"

"Do you think I like being SeeD first and friend second? Do you think it's easy for me too to fight against someone close to me? I just…don't want to see anyone get hurt again. Not after what happened…last time."

Quistis looked down as Squall turned away. The silence between them stretched endlessly. 

"I'm sorry, Squall. It's just that, when Rinoa was possessed, I thought, we had to kill her just to save the world. It was a nightmare back then. I don't want—I can't handle that kind of pressure again."

"I know. That's why I had to make sure. Tonight proved me wrong. And I was never so glad to be wrong in my entire life."

Quistis groaned. She slapped Squall squarely on the shoulder. "You jerk! I thought you were serious!"

A ghost of a smile appeared on Squall's face. "You never did give me a chance to finish. If I recall, you were the one who made all the assumptions." Suddenly, he turned serious again. "But seriously, Quistis. What if another one of our friends is the Sorceress? What if it was me, or you? If you'd known you were the Sorceress, what would you do?"

"Why must you have such depressing thoughts, Squall? Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence such thing could happen?" Quistis protested.

"But what would you _do?_ Would you kill yourself, die for the world, and your friends?" Squall's eyes looked haunted as he stared morosely at her. He was beginning to get _her_ depressed.

Quistis smiled and shook her head. "If I were to die, it would not be for anyone but myself. Because I could never let other people feel guilty over my death. So I live for myself, and will die for myself too." She said softly.

_Lies! All lies!_

_But the truth would've killed me._

_And your answer would bring me back to life only to die a thousand times more._

There was a rustling noise and she realized that Squall was moving closer. He now stood only inches away from her. He reached out and touched her cheek, sending shivers through her. She looked up into the sapphire depths and they seemed to speak volumes to her. But what, she didn't understand. Or dared hope.

"You were always the one to think about other people, aren't you, Quisty?" he murmured softly.

_Quisty._

_He called me Quisty._

She looked away. _My heart is not up for your games, Squall. It's too fragile._

"Don't say it like it's an endearment to you." She replied hurtfully.

_You knew! You know how I feel about you!_

"It comes from the heart."

_What do I want?_

He seemed like he meant it.

_What are you trying to say?_

Look up into his eyes and you'll find your answer.

_But I can't._

He's waiting for you.

_I'm afraid._

You've been waiting for so long for this.

_I've been waiting for so long…_

"Quisty…"

He was lifting her chin. He was leaning closer. He was closing his eyes.

_Please don't hurt me._

His lips brushed hers, soft as a feather's.

He was kissing her.

His lips were soft, and slightly sweet from the punch he drank. It moved gently against hers, coaxing her to return it. And when she did, it was with everything that she got.

It seemed like an eternity later when they pulled away. Her face was wet. She was crying. Was it from happiness? She couldn't tell. She buried her face into his chest.

"Why? Why now?" she said in muffled whisper.

Squall ran a hand through Quistis' loose blonde hair. His gesture was so natural that it surprised her a bit.

"I didn't want to ruin it. You mean so much to me. I just…I was afraid something might happen to you, to us. That's why I kept my distance. I'm sorry, Quisty. I'm sorry for making you wait for so long. I wanted to tell you. Honestly, I do. But I dare not. I was afraid I'd lose you."

She looked up at him. "How long, Squall? How long have you kept this?"

Squall looked embarrassed. And uncomfortable. He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture made whenever he was nervous, or annoyed, depending on the situation. "Well, I can't really be sure," he mumbled, "but I wanted to tell you how I feel about a year ago, after the fight with Seifer where I got my scar. But it just…didn't feel right. I didn't know how to. The problem with building walls so high is that you never know how to take them down."

"The problem with having walls so high is that you never know what is waiting on the other side." Quistis replied, smiling up at him.

"You're wrong. I knew you're waiting. I knew, no matter what, you'll always wait. And I've always watched. No matter how high the walls are, there's always a small opening for me to see you. You were the only one that stood by it long enough to wear it off."

"That's good to hear. Remind me later to bring a hammer. It'll be so much faster that way." 

"Very funny. Do you think my affection is something to be made fun of?" said Squall dryly.

With his words, came a warm feeling that enveloped Quistis like a cocoon. She felt…happy. Exhilarated. So he loved her too. He'd always loved her.__

_Helovesmehelovesmehelovesmehelovesme_.

The words ran over and over in her mind with her repeating it like a magic mantra. _He loves me. It was too good to be true. What did she ever do to deserve this? Hyne, she was not a Saint, and yet, Hyne blessed her with Squall's confessions—which was even better than what she'd dreamed of._

The tears came again. This time she was positive that it was from happiness. She rubbed her face against his white shirt, wiping her tears. And Squall actually wrapped his arms around her!

It was so uncharacteristic of him that she began to laugh. A soft, soundless laugh. She pulled back, and her eyes twinkled up at him.

"I'm surprised you're so good at this whole courtship thing." She teased, her old humour returning.

Squall just rolled his eyes and pulled her back into his arms.

But Quistis didn't miss the slow grin that appeared on his face. 

Yuki: Phew! Finally, the last draft. Geez. I hope it's not too sappy. Definitely OOC for Squall. What the heck.

Oh yeah, flames will be used to fire the flying cockroaches that so love to disturb me when I'm writing my fic. Byeeeeee.


	4. Leave Me Here

Yuki: Yeahyeah! *does a little victory dance* I'm finally done with the mushy part of the story. Phew! I swear the last chapter was the longest I had to work on. The next mushy part is in say, 4 more chapters? Anyway, enjoy this chapter. Not much going on but if you REALLY read then you might just figure out what's going to happen next.

Toodles.

4: Leave Me Here

"No."

Quistis looked at Squall with dismay. The reply that came from Rinoa's mouth was exactly as they had expected. They'd been persuading her to follow them to Balamb but Rinoa just flat out refused them. And she can be as stubborn as a mule when she wanted to.

"Look, our job is not to ask for your agreement or whatever but just to escort you to Balamb. Seifer will be waiting for you there." Squall said as patiently as he could.

"Why can't he come himself? Not only did he forget my birthday, at least he can be gentleman enough to ask my hand in marriage himself." Rinoa said, hurt. She gazed into her wine glass sadly. "I was counting on him…"

"Rinoa, you know how his father is. He's a control freak. Everything must be done according to his own rules." Quistis didn't mean to sound bitter but somehow, it sounded like she was.

Rinoa jutted out her chin stubbornly. "Seifer? Abide by rules? Much less his father's! Whatever happened to having his own mind? I thought he was smarter than that. I thought I was important."

"You _are important." Quistis chided gently. "That's why he had to listen to his father. He didn't want to jeopardize what chance you two have to be together."_

She sometimes worried about those two. They're both stubborn and rebellious. Quistis always thought that Rinoa should settle down with someone more sensible, someone who could calm her restless spirit. Someone to be her anchor.

But Seifer seemed to change ever since the Ultimecia incident. He seemed to have matured considerably.

Well, enough to diminish Quistis' worry about his and Rinoa's future.

_Ugh, why am I still mothering them anyway? I sounded like a fussy old woman._

"Rinoa, listen to me. Seifer loves you very much. He only listens to his father because he wants his father's approval of you. He only wants your relationship to work." Quistis said gently.

"Yeah, Rin. I've never seen him so whipped!" Selphie teased.

Rinoa smiled slightly. "You think so?"

Quistis pretended to grimace. "If there's one good thing about Seifer, it's having enough sense not to let you slip away."

"Quisty!" Rinoa exclaimed, grinning so hugely that the servant who was cleaning up the table shook his head at her. "Seifer has lots of good qualities! You as his Instructor should know!"

_What Instructor?_

"So I gather we've reached an agreement?" Squall asked coolly.

Rinoa nodded happily. "Oh, we have! Let's leave early tomorrow morning."

Quistis sighed with relief. Well, that's one thing settled. She stood up and was surprised to feel Squall's hand on her back. She looked up at him in confusion.

"Come on, Quistis. I'll walk you to your room." He said, to everyone's astonishment. Squall Leonhart…being uncharacteristically gallant…

Before anyone could utter another syllable, he pushed her gently towards the stairway and up to the second floor west wing of the Caraway mansion. Quistis glanced over shoulder and saw Rinoa smirking at her and Selphie giving her a thumbs-up sign.

She groaned.

"What?" asked Squall.

"I am never going to hear the end of this from those two!" she muttered, covering one gloved hand over her face.

A faint smile lit up Squall's pale face. He glanced down and she could've sworn she saw his eyes laughing at her. Then he stopped in the middle of the corridor and frowned.

"So which one is your room?" he asked, staring down the long corridor.

Quistis laughed. She pointed to the room she once occupied when she visited Rinoa a few months ago. "That one, I think. Don't worry. It's all the same guest rooms so I don't think it matters anyway."

Her companion nodded absently. He seemed not to have heard her. He was staring at her with what she assumed was concern.

"Quis, you look like you're about to collapse. It's been exactly eighteen hours since you last slept and I'm sure you're very exhausted."

She smiled faintly at him. "Didn't know you kept such close count. What, have you been observing me every single minute of the day?" she resisted the urge to reach out to massage her throbbing temple. She didn't want to get him more worried than he already was.

Instead, she stood on tiptoes and gave him a light kiss on the mouth. "You get a good night's sleep too, okay? Don't think too much of this Sorceress of the Future business. We don't even know how true his story is anyway."

Squall looked thoughtfully at her for a moment longer before finally turning away. As she watched his retreating back, she suddenly felt an irrational fear that she would never see that figure again—as if this would be the last time she would ever see him again.

Without realizing it, she called out his name.

He turned.

"Squall, I…" she suddenly felt foolish. "Um…I just wanted to say…uh…can I see your ring?" 

_Lame cover._

Well, she did like it very much. Besides, she wanted to have something of him that can remind her of that night. To assure her that what had happened between them wasn't just another one of her dreams.

"Um, well, you know, I mean, I've always admired it but never got the courage to ask to have a closer look. But now that we, um, you know, I just thought…I 'd ask." She finished her stammer of explanation lamely.

To her surprise, he said, "Sure." And gave her Griever without a moment's hesitation.

She stared at the intricately carved silver band uncertainly. "But…I thought this is your favourite ring."

"Do you want it or not?" he asked in annoyance. She grinned happily. Reaching out, she gave him a tight hug.

"Thanks, Squall. Can I keep it for a while?"

He shrugged at her in a way that made Quistis smirk at him. "G'night, Commander." She teased and laughingly escaped to the guest room, before he could change his mind.

Once inside, she examined the ring Squall had given her. She tried slipping it into her ring finger but the ring was too big. She tried all her other fingers as well but still it won't fit. Quistis bit her lip, searching for another alternative. She didn't want to just leave it somewhere inside a cheap jewellery box. She wanted to feel the ring against her skin, as an assurance that what happened that night was real.

She then remembered the platinum chain around her neck. On it hung a miniature SeeD badge—a birthday gift from one of her Trepies. She removed the pendant and replaced it with the ring. Posing in front of the mirror, she couldn't help smiling at herself. Despite the pale complexion—a result of lack of sleep—her eyes were bright with happiness.

_This is the image of the girl who finally had her dream come true._

With her small hand firmly clutching his ring, she finally drifted off to sleep. 

~@~~@~~@~

A loud knock on the door jerked Quistis awake. She glanced around the alien room and took a few seconds to get oriented.

Right. She was in one of the guest rooms in the Caraway mansion. There was the feeling of cool metal against her chest.

Squall's Griever.

Almost immediately, the memory of the previous night rushed in. She was filled with a warm glow as she remembered the kiss they'd shared. Short, sweet, but definitely everything she had dreamt of.

Dreams…she had a weird dream last night. But try as she might, she couldn't recall any of it. But she had an intense feeling that it was important. If only she could remember…

Someone was still knocking on her door. Okay, pounding might be a more suitable word. It was most probably Selphie, judging by the impatient bangs.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Quistis grumbled and slipped out of the queen-sized bed. She had slept with the clothes she wore last night—a habit she acquired after earning her SeeD badge. She found it very useful especially when the enemy ambushed them while they were sleeping.

"Quistis!" Selphie shrieked as soon as the door was opened.

"What's wrong?" Quistis asked as she took in Selphie's nervous expression.

"Seifer! He's here! Here, in this mansion! He wants to see Rinoa." Selphie exclaimed.

"So? Let him see her."

"B-but, Rinoa's gone! She's disappeared overnight! I've been running all over trying to find her but she's not to be found anywhere! What should we do?"

"Gone? Gone where? Have you told Squall?" 

"No. I can't find him either!"

_Squall's gone too?_

One part of her mind was worried that something had happened to the two of them while the other part was feeding her with images of Squall and Rinoa together and she felt a stabbing jealousy inside her.

_Don't be stupid, Quistis! This is hardly the time for such thoughts! You need to figure out what happened! _The cool reasonable voice told her.

_What happened is that they have both run away together. _Came the cruel reply.

_And to figure out what to do next!_

_Find them, duh! And separately too, hopefully._

"Quistis?"

Her head snapped up. Selphie was still staring at her, waiting for her order. Pushing away the two contradicting voices, she quickly assessed the situation, trying to make a decision.

"Well, we must tell Seifer first. Then we'll have to head back to Garden to report this immediately." She said.

Selphie bit her lower lip. "I'm not going to go tell Seifer that his fiancée just ran away with someone else."

"She's not running away with Squall. Something must've happened!" Quistis snapped.

Selphie's eyes widened with surprise. "Ah. Okay." She said timidly.

Quistis was about to turn back into her room to wash her face when she heard an all-too-familiar drawl.

"So this is where you've been hiding, Instructor." Seifer said, leaning on a wall with a sneer plastered on his face. He gave her a once over and smirked at her unkempt hair and wrinkly clothes. "And by the looks of it, I gather you haven't had your coffee yet?"

Quistis put a hand to her forehead and sighed. "Seifer. I didn't expect you here."

"Obviously. But let's skip the usual pleasantries and just get to the point, shall we? Why don't you tell me where you've hidden her?"

Selphie squeaked nervously and tried hiding behind Quistis as Seifer walked over to them. Quistis crossed her arms and glared at him. "Hidden her? Excuse me? Why would I want to hide her? Besides, I was told of their disappearance just now and I don't know the reason either."

"Their disappearance'?" Seifer's eyes narrowed suspiciously at them. "What do you mean 'their disappearance'?"

Quistis froze. _Me and my big fat mouth. She could've hit herself for that slip._

She met his cold emerald eyes boldly, showing him that she wasn't afraid of him. "Squall has disappeared too."

"What?? She's with Commander Puberty?? What the HELL is going on, Instructor? Your mission is quite clear! You just have to escort her to Balamb! Or is it that your commander is too stupid to even understand such a simple order?"

"That's enough, Seifer. What's the use of yelling when they're already gone to Hyne only knows where. I think it's best that we go back to Garden to report this. Besides, for all we know, they could already be there." _Although I have a sinking feeling that they're not._ Quistis added silently.

"Who are you to order me around, Instructor? Hyne, you're not even my Instructor anymore!"

"Then stop calling me that!" she snapped. Selphie jumped and Seifer's eyes flashed angrily. Quistis glared back and said, "Look, even if I'm not your Instructor, I'm still a SeeD and _you're_ a cadet. Whether you like it or not, you're going to have to listen to me."

"Right. Keep dreaming." He muttered and walked away, Hyperion swinging by his side.

"I think we're in deep trouble now, Quisty." Selphie said.

"Right. Tell me something I don't know." Quistis replied grimly.

~@~~@~~@~

"Squall, hurry!" Rinoa called out excitedly. She waved at him and continued running towards Timber, her hair flying behind her.

Squall grumbled to himself and followed suit, wondering how he got himself into this situation.

*~*~*~*

He was out for a walk late that night and he saw Rinoa sneaking out of the mansion. At first, he only wanted to know where she was going so he followed her. But she had hotwired a car off the street and was about to drive off when Squall suddenly caught on and jumped into the convertible.

She looked surprised for about a millisecond. Then she grinned crazily at him and stepped on the pedal—hard.

They screeched off and by then, there was nothing he could do to convince her to turn back. She was determined to go to Timber—and not even a Ruby Dragon can stop her when Rinoa Heartilly is determined to do something.

They ran out of fuel halfway to Timber and had to walk the rest of the way. Of course, it would've been easier if they'd taken the train but which train operated at five in the morning?

~*~*~*~*

"Come on, Squall! The Forest Owls Headquarter is right this way!" Rinoa led him to a what seemed to be an abandoned train and knocked three times.

A guy wearing a yellow windbreaker opened the door cautiously and his eyes widened when he saw her. "Princess! Is that you, sir?"

"Yes, Watts! It's me!" Rinoa squealed and threw her arms around him. They broke apart and—arms still on each other's shoulders—jumped up and down.

_For Hyne's sakes,_ thought Squall exasperatedly.

"Who is it, Watts?" someone called out from the interior part of the train.

"It's the Princess, sir! The Princess has come back!"

A few seconds later, another guy stepped out. He did a double take and a broad grin spread over his face. "Princess!"

"Zone! I've missed you!" More hugs and squeals.

"Is there some kind of a celebration here?" came a female voice. Everyone turned to see a young woman emerge from the train. Squall was probably the most shocked to discover who she was.

"Ellone? What in the--!"

Ellone blushed when she saw him. "Oh, Squall. Hello."

"Hello? _Hello?? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Laguna!"_

"She came here to visit us, sir. Arrived from Esthar yesterday she did, sir." Watts said helpfully.

"I just wanted to thank the Forest Owl for helping the children at the Orphanage escape from Ultimecia." Ellone explained. She gave a fleeting glance to Zone and a small smile played on her lips.

Squall didn't miss this exchange. He put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes in exasperation. _Of all the—_

"Isn't this great? Now that we're all gathered together, let's have a party! Since none of you attended my birthday party, I'm bringing the party to you!"

"Hey, that's right! Happy birthday, Princess! Sorry we forgot." Zone slapped his forehead. "Let's celebrate at the bar!"

As Rinoa dragged him along, Squall couldn't help thinking how Quistis and Selphie are going to react to their disappearance. They're bound to wonder where he went. If only there was some way for him to get in touch with them…

"Is something wrong, Squall?" Rinoa asked.

"We'd better head straight to Balamb after this." He warned. "Hyne only knows how many rules I've broken and what sort of punishment I'm in for after this."

Rolling her eyes at him, Rinoa said, "Okay, Squall. Whatever you say!"

Yuki: well? Comments? Criticism? Feel free to email me. Or if that's TOO much of an effort, then just review. Next chapter, the Sorceress makes an appearance! And…Squall's arrested? Heehee.

Till then, ta-ta!


	5. Looking Back at Me

5: Looking Back at Me

"How can it be so warm inside here when it's so freaking cold outside?" Irvine muttered as he discarded yet another layer of clothing. Quistis was fanning herself with her hands and once in a while, Selphie would swipe irritably at her golden brown bangs that were sticking to her forehead. The only who didn't seem to be affected by the cave's warm temperature is Leads, the future SeeD.

Carefully stepping over stones and even boulders, Quistis wondered why she never knew of the cave's existence. Of course, the fact that it was located around five kilometres from Trabia Garden and hidden behind thick, dense forest should give her some idea why it had never been discovered. It also disturbed her how the trees outside could still live in the biting cold climate of the Trabia continent.

If it hadn't been for Leads and his futuristic gadgets, they'd still be flying around aimlessly on Ragnarok. He was the one that pointed out the cave.

"Hey, guys! I think I found something!" Selphie called out excitedly. She pointed to another opening on the cave walls. It was dark and narrow and only allowed one person to go through it. So they marched single file inside with Quistis in the lead and Irvine bringing up the rear.

After walking for what seemed like hours, they finally came to a huge clearing. It was surprisingly bright and that made the SeeDs blink as they tried to get used to the light. After careful inspection, they found out that the light came from the _walls._ It was as if the walls were made of a thin layer of silk and thousands of candles were burning behind the silk screen, throwing light to the other side.

It was as scary as it was mesmerizing.

"Approach with caution." Quistis warned, raising a hand. She glanced at Leads and his earlier words haunted her.

_"The Sorceress is one of the most powerful in my time. But after escaping Time Compression, I'm sure that even with her powers, she would need to regain her energy. She will still be weak and vulnerable. Therefore, she would be looking for a place to refuge. We must find her and kill her as soon as possible, before all her powers are fully restored."_

Leads caught her staring and she turned away. She didn't know why but she didn't like him. His suggestion to sneak up on the sorceress and kill her disturbed her. She just didn't like such method. But he was the only one that seemed to be the most knowledgeable about the Sorceress—and Quistis was the second-in-command after Squall's absence—she had no choice but to follow him.

_If only Squall was here._ She thought. _He'd know what to do._

"Quistis, look." Selphie said in a hushed voice. She gestured to the center of the clearing and Quistis saw a small figure lying on a raised platform. Long black hair was strewn across the platform and its ends fell to slightly graze the ground. The figure was not moving.

"Is she…dead?" Irvine whispered. It seemed that nobody wanted to raise their voices in the presence of an unknown. Or perhaps…it wasn't unknown. Why did she feel like she's seen that figure before?

"Is it the Sorceress?" Quistis turned to Leads. He was staring at the figure with burning hatred in his eyes and his gunblade was unsheathed.

"It's Millennia." He muttered and charged towards the Sorceress.

"Stop!" With well-trained reflex, Quistis jumped in front of him and kicked his gunblade away. It clattered to the ground and slid a few feet away from them. 

Leads looked from his gunblade to her astonished face. She didn't realize that she had moved, either.

"What are you doing? That was the Sorceress!" he yelled.

"What am _I doing? What are __you doing? She's unconscious! And can't you see that she's still a child?" she yelled back. A child, here, meant that the Sorceress was probably around their age. Young and perhaps inexperienced._

"A child—what—she's a _Sorceress!_ Does it matter if she's a child? She kills people!" Leads roared and lunged for his gunblade. Irvine made to grab him but he rolled away from Irvine's grasp and stood up, waving his gunblade at them. "Don't stop me!"

Quistis unhooked her Save the Queen and cracked it in midair. The sound echoed loudly and made Selphie flinch. "We don't how you operate in the future but now, in the present, we SeeDs don't kill in cold blood. And we're not about to start." She said coolly. "Now please, put away your weapon."

"Quistis! She's waking up!" Selphie called out. Quistis whipped her head around to look at the Sorceress and her strawberry blonde locks slapped her right across the face. Pushing hair out of the way, she saw the black head lifting.

Then a million things seemed to happen at once. Leads was once again trying to charge at the Sorceress. Irvine was trying to stop him, Selphie was taking out a Sleep spell—probably to use it on the Sorceress—and Quistis was yelling at them both to stop Leads.

Then she saw it.

The Sorceress was sitting upright and was staring straight at Quistis with eyes as cold and clear as sapphire. The face was pale, the eyes almond shaped and a small, slightly pouty mouth adorned the beautifully unblemished face.

_Oh, Hyne. It's…me. That's me…with Squall's eyes. It's not possible!_

The Universe was moving. Or maybe it was her. Maybe she was the one who had stopped moving and now she was stumbling backwards, crashing into the thousand year old stars—whose stories she had yet to comprehend and whose wonder left her breathless.

But she could sense her control slipping as bewilderment and shock took over.

Herself…staring back at her.

"SeeD! MurDerErs! The tImE shAlL cOme WhEn aLl WiLl bE aVenGed!" The Sorceress said in a voice like silk against stone. She raised a hand and a film of electric blue light shot out to the nearest SeeD. Selphie.

"Selphie, no!" Irvine screamed and shoved Leads away. 

But Quistis was nearer—and faster. She reached out to pull Selphie away from the undulating currents and felt a sizzle up her spine. Warm light encased her arm from the hand that had touched Selphie's and traveled to her whole body. Hot, searing pain coursed through her as the unforgiving flame ate away her insides. She felt Selphie jerked violently and she herself felt like her body was tearing apart.

Visions of red and black swarmed behind her closed eyelids and her legs buckled beneath her. she sank to the ground and heard one last voice before she fell unconscious.

"ThE SeeDs ShaLl pEriSh…aNd tHe sOrCereSs MoVemEnt sHalL SuCceEd."

~@~~@~~@~

"Let's head for Balamb Garden first." Squall said as the train stopped at Balamb Station. He glanced at Rinoa for confirmation and the latter just nodded happily.

They boarded off the train and made their way to the city's entrance. But before they could even reach it, they were stopped by three uniformed soldiers. Balamb soldiers.

"Commander Squall Leonhart of Balamb Garden and Miss Rinoa Heartilly?" one of the soldiers asked.

"That would be us." Squall confirmed, frowning. _Since when do we have to go through the Balamb military after a mission?_ He thought uneasily.

Something wasn't right. The Balamb military unit was not in any way connected to SeeD so he had no idea what the three soldiers wanted with him.

To both Rinoa's and his surprise, the three soldiers raised their weapon at them and ordered them not to move. The one who had spoken earlier stepped to the front, gun still raised.

"What's going on—hey!" Rinoa cried out as he pulled her roughly by the arm.

"Squall Leonhart, you are under arrest for the abduction attempt of Rinoa Heartilly Caraway. Put down your weapon and follow us. Do not resist or we will not hesitate to open fire." The soldier said.

_Abduction?_

His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and one of the soldiers shivered. But the one assumed to be the leader was unmoved by the cold glare. He stared back at him with equal animosity.

Cautiously, reluctantly, Squall laid his beloved Lion Heart down. It was quickly snatched up by the shorter soldier, making Squall grit his teeth in anger at the rough handling.

"What do you mean abduction? I'm not being abducted!" Rinoa said indignantly.

 "This is under the order of the President himself! Now silence!"

"President Almasy? But why?" Rinoa was still protesting loudly as she was pushed to walk towards a dark blue armoured car. The two other soldiers were moving behind Squall, their guns on his back.

_Seifer._ Squall thought darkly as his face flashed in Squall's mind.


	6. Surrender to the Pain

6: Surrender to the Pain

Quistis woke up with a muffled groan. She looked around her and saw Irvine hugging Selphie a few feet from where she laid. Her heart tightened when she saw them. Quickly scrambling to her feet, she ran towards them and examined Selphie's pulse.

"She's alive." She whispered hoarsely and saw Irvine's anguished face cleared slightly. She glanced at the platform and saw that the Sorceress had gone. So was Leads.

"Where's—"

"He took off with the Sorceress." Irvine said before she could finish her sentence. "After she attacked you and Selphie, Leads used Silence on her and dragged her out."

"Hyne, I shouldn't have trusted him! We've got to find them, Irvine! Let's go!"

Collecting Selphie in a bundle, he took off after Quistis, who was running towards the exit. When they emerged, they saw that Leads had taken Ragnarok with him. They were left stranded in the middle of the dense forest with no means of a transport.

Irvine's cursing tirade was suddenly interrupted by a loud roar. A tree fell just before them and a Snow Lion stepped out, glaring at them angrily. It roared again and began charging at them.

"Firaga!" Quistis yelled and the spell hit the Snow Lion in the eye. It howled painfully. Instead of retreating, it seemed to get angrier and with a clean swipe of its massive paw, it sent Quistis flying against a tree.

"Quisty!" Irvine roared and quickly took out his gun. He fired countless Fire Ammos at the Snow Lion until it scampered off in the other way, whimpering. Irvine cursed. He glanced over at where Quistis was lying and saw her stir. He sighed with relief. Quisty was tough.

Quistis stood up with much difficulty and used a Cura on herself. Instantly, she felt the pain receding. She looked over at Irvine and nodded for him to follow her. "We need to get to Trabia Garden a.s.a.p! From there, maybe we can find medical help for Selphie and a transport to get back to Balamb!"

~@~~@~~@~

"How is he?" asked the officer. He was addressing to the lower rank soldier to his right—the one who was staring at the big screen.

"Unconscious." The soldier said.

The officer glanced at his watch. _It's almost time._ He thought. He nodded to the soldier. "Begin the electrocution."

He watched uneasily as electric currents shot out from the metal prison walls and enveloped the teenage prisoner inside. He shook his head, silently offering an apology. He had no idea what the youth had done. But surely, the punishment was a little extreme. He didn't feel particularly proud doing it. But he had no choice.

_This is because you defied the President, Commander Leonhart._

~@~~@~~@~

It was three days later that they finally arrived in Balamb Garden. Selphie had regained consciousness again even though she didn't remember what had happened inside the cave. But she had not talked much and that worried Quistis. It was rare to see Selphie so silent.

_Perhaps the Sorceress…_ _no, it can't be. _She irascibly waved the thought away. The Sorceress couldn't have possessed her dear friend. She just _couldn't_.

_How can you be so sure?_ A voice in her head mocked.

_No. No Sorceress is ever going to get to any of my friends ever again. I won't allow it._

_What can you do? You're powerless to stop her._

Quistis lifted her chin stubbornly, sensing that she was losing the mental war. She glanced at Selphie and saw that the latter had a vacant look in her eyes. The two gloveless hands were hanging limply by her side and Selphie's mouth was moving discreetly—as if she was muttering softly to herself.

"Selphie?" Irvine called out. He was waving a train ticket in front of her face and was smiling faintly at her. It seemed that Selphie's change had not gone unnoticed by the green-eyed SeeD.

Selphie gazed mutely at him. She took the ticket from his hand and headed towards the waiting train, leaving Quistis and Irvine to stare at her retreating back.

"Irvine," Quistis said quietly, "what really happened that time? I couldn't see very clearly then because I was busy trying to pull her away."

Irvine shrugged. "The blue light went through her and she was twisting, jerking in pain and then you reached her and I saw both of you had fallen unconscious. Then the Sorceress sort of slumped and Leads took that opportunity to take her away. That's all."

She was silent for a while and thinking that Quistis was content on his somewhat brisk description, he walked away, shoulders slumped.

"Irvy?"

He turned around.

"She'll be okay. I promise."

He smiled faintly at her. "Thanks."

So they took the newly built underground train that led to the Galbadia Continent. From there, they took a car to Dollet and then a SeeD ship straight to Balamb.

Upon arriving at Balamb Garden, they were greeted by Headmaster Cid, an anxious look on his face. He rushed to their side and in a panicky voice told them, "Squall! He's—he's been arrested and sent—sentenced to d—death!"

Colour drained from Quistis' face and both Selphie and Irvine froze in shock. They stared dumbly at the Headmaster as his words slowly sank in. Irvine recovered first.

"Headmaster! Where is he now? We have to go get him!" he said urgently.

But before anyone could say another word, something like a blue meteor charged towards them, throwing her arms around Quistis' shoulder. She sobbed into the other girl's shoulder pitifully, barely getting any words out.

"Rinoa?" Quistis said softly, regaining her voice.

"Oh, Quisty, I'm so—sorry…I…it was my fault…he…he…only wanted to…p-protect me. I didn't know…they would…and now…he's gone!" Rinoa's words tumbled out in between sobs and her last words were like knives that tore open Quistis' heart.

"Gone? Rinoa, I…we are going there to get him now. Don't worry, everything's going to be-going to be okay." She stammered. She wanted so desperately to believe herself that her heart had leapt when she saw him trudging towards her.

_Squall!_ She thought wildly. _He's escaped! He's okay!_

But the beautifully messy dark brown hair transformed into a blonde shade as the figure came closer. Sapphire turned to emerald as the pair of eyes bore into hers.

"Quistis…" Seifer said hoarsely. He looked like death, pale and shrunken. The only colourful thing about him was his eyes, which held unmasked pain as his Instructor gazed blankly at him. He wanted so much to take back what he had said to his father—what had caused all this. He didn't mean to kill Squall, only to teach him a lesson. 

He'd made a decision in anger. And now someone else had paid for it. paid for his stupid mistake.

And his father had been so glad for an excuse to get rid of a SeeD.

_"Filthy scums who think they're so good just because they defeated the Sorceress!"_

"He was executed two hours ago. We just knew." Seifer said, turning away from her stricken face.

"No." Quistis said softly. "_No!_ It can't be! Why wasn't he given a trial? What did he do? Who—who did this to him?" her voice began to fail her as her throat closed painfully. She sank slowly to the ground, tears flowing down her face freely. Her heart was squeezed tight and she had difficulty breathing.

_How could you! _She screamed silently. _How could you leave me like this!_

"You bastard!" Zell had appeared out of nowhere and had thrown a punch into Seifer's face. His face was tear-stained but he was glaring at Seifer with such hatred that his whole body was shaking with uncontrollable fury. "You were the cause of all this! You've caused Squall's death! You and your freaking father!"

_President Almasy. Soren Almasy. He killed the only person I've ever truly loved in this world._

Quistis had sunk into dark oblivion. The only sound she could hear was the wind, blowing hatred, loathing and whispering secrets of death into her ears. Light danced behind her closed eyelids—dancing to the song of evil. She wanted to crush, smash, stomp, tear, rip, and blow apart everything in this world. She wanted to…destroy.

"FoR vEngEaNce…" a silky voice whispered. She recognized that voice. One that had come from distant memories, from a place long forgotten, from a time not known to man. It was beckoning her, calling her into it.

"SuRreNdEr tO tHe PaIn…"

So she did.

AN: *coughs* sorry for the late update. I was thinking of making it up by writing out a really long chapter but ended up splitting it into two. Heh. I'll post the second part later.


	7. Return to Me

7: Return to Me

At first, nobody noticed what happened.

Rinoa and Irvine was pulling Zell away from Seifer—who surprisingly did not retaliate—and Selphie was whimpering while Headmaster Cid tried to calm her.

Then they all heard the voice. 

"MurDeRerS! In DeAtH, mY kiNd wiLL pUt a cUrSe oN All oF YoU!" it rasped.

Rinoa gasped. "Sorceress! I sense a sorceress!"

All eyes turned to Quistis, whose head was bowed and both of her palms were on the ground. 

Selphie stepped forward. She could already feel the hate waves Quistis was giving out. She was afraid this would happen. Ever since they left Trabia, she had noticed some change in her friend. Not a change in attitude or anything but Quistis would sometimes stare blankly at her and a secret smile would be forming on her mouth.

So Selphie had been observing Quistis for some time, afraid that the Sorceress had claimed Quistis' body. She was right.

"tHe VengEanCe of ThRee HundRed yEarS…" Quistis said.

"Quisty…" Selphie called softly, reaching out a hand to touch Quistis' shoulder.

"SilEncE! SeeD!" the ground began to shake and jagged pieces of earth emerged, threatening to cut the SeeDs into half if they didn't react quickly.

"Selphie! Get away from her! She's…she's possessed!" Irvine cried out. He hopped over a piece of sharp boulder protruding out of the ground and pulled Selphie away.

Quistis raised her head and began to stand up. Her icy blue eyes swept over each of the faces and finally rested on Rinoa's pale face. She raised a hand towards Rinoa and the other girl flinched.

"YoU aRe the SorCereSs thAt Is rULinG tHis tIme?"

Rinoa's eyes flew to Headmaster Cid uncertainly and said, "I am Sorceress Rinoa but I don't rule this time. Nor do any of the other Sorceresses." She added quickly.

"OtHer? THerE ArE oThEr SorCerEssEs?"

"There's one that we know of. Sorceress Edea. But she no longer wants to hold the title." Irvine said.

"SiLenCe, SeeD!" Quistis/Sorceress snapped. "I Do nOt LisTen To wOrdS of MurDerErs!"

"Who are you? What do you want with Quistis?" Rinoa asked. This time, the note of fear in her voice was gone. "And why are you calling SeeDs murderers?"

"I aM SorCeRess Millennia of The SixTh DesCenDantS oF SorCerEss Althena. I cOme FrOm The tIme 500 YeaRs FrOm Now. SorCeRess Althena, I bEliEvE, wAs tHe SorCeRess afTer YoUr tIme. shE waS tHe DauGhteR of RaiNa LeOnHarT anD ArEs AlmAsY."

"Raina Leonhart and Ares Almasy?" Rinoa repeated softly.

"Raina Leonhart was Squall Leonhart and Quistis Trepe's daughter. Ares Almasy was Seifer Almasy and Rinoa Heartilly's son." Someone suddenly said. Everyone turned to see Reyes Leads, gunblade pointed towards the Sorceress. Millennia hissed in warning at him and retreated a few steps. She seemed to be afraid of him.

 "So, evil enchantress. You've managed to trick me into bringing your real body back when you've already found another body. Doesn't it disgust you to possess a SeeD's body?"

"sHe wAs mY AncEstOr!"

"She is a SeeD, one that you detest so much!" Leads countered.

A pained expression crossed Millennia's face. She was now face to face with the future SeeD. The others were merely watching the exchange between them. None of them noticed that Headmaster Cid had slipped away to his office.

"eNouGh!" Millennia cried out. She held out her palm. "Ultima!"

Leads only smirked at her. He didn't make any attempt to dodge the spell. There was the tiniest of gasp and suddenly, Millennia was hit by her own Ultima spell. She staggered back and stared at Leads in surprise.

"Tsk, tsk. Have you forgotten what these uniforms are made of? Carbuncle essence. It reflects offensive spells." Leads said smugly.

Millennia's eyes filled with rage. She pointed at Leads angrily, her hands shaking. "mUrDerErs! yOu haVe murDeRed a GF! coLd-bLoOdEd ScUm!"

Seifer, Irvine, Zell, Selphie and Rinoa stared at Leads in disbelief. They couldn't believe what they have heard. The future SeeD killed GFs to make uniforms?

"I have defeated countless sorceresses in our time. It was worth the sacrifice." Leads replied.

"Hey, wait a minute—"Irvine's protest was cut short as Sorceress Millennia flew at Leads, hands extended as if to strangle him. Leads evaded and brought down his gunblade on the Sorceress' back.

Millennia turned her face downwards and gave a back kick right at his stomach. He winced as Quistis' combat boots connected with his abdomen. He stared at Millennia, astonished.

"Didn't expect you to be a martial artist, Sorceress." He sneered.

"Me NeiTher. But ThiS bOdy I oCcuPy, iT is wEll-tRaiNed fOr phYsiCal cOmbAt. I aM aBle to eXtrAct thIs skiLl fRom Her mInd And eXecUte iT wIth hEr boDy." Millennia replied coolly. She casted Reflect on herself and then Break. It reflected on her and hit Leads. Instantly, he was Petrified, turned to stone.

Sorceress Millennia turned to the others. "mY reAsoN fOr esCapIng tO tHis TiMeLine is beCauSe I wAnt to rId oF aLl SeeDs! thErefOre, I sHaLl dEsTroY tHe fIrsT gEneRatIon of SeeD! Ultima!"

They all screamed in agony as they were hit by the gravitational spell. After three more Ultimas, the only ones still left standing were Seifer and Selphie. Seifer was propping himself up with Hyperion while Selphie tried desperately to revive her friends and at the same time use her Full Cure on herself and Seifer.

"Why—do you—hate—SeeD—so—much?" Seifer asked, gasping for breath. His grey trench coat was torn and his hair was matted down with blood.

"FoR ManY GenEraTionS, SeeD haS sPiLt cOunTleSs of sOrCerEsS bLooD! wE haVe dOnE nO wRonG aNd yEt, we WerE hUntEd dOwN LikE AniMaLs!" Millennia spat out. 

"But Sorceresses are evil! They tried to destroy humankind!" Selphie burst out. She held out a palm and yelled, "Holy!"

She forgot that Millennia had Reflect casted on. It bounced off the Sorceress and was recasted on Selphie. She screamed as bright white lights pierced her skin. Millennia was laughing in glee and then casted Meteor. Unable to take it anymore, Selphie finally fell unconscious.

Millennia laughed again and Seifer saw this chance to attack. He rushed forward and made a clean swipe with Hyperion, pulling the trigger at the precise time. A deep gash appeared on Quistis' body from her right shoulder right to her left waist.

The Sorceress screamed in agony. Furiously, she waved her hands in Seifer's direction and a gust of cold wind blew him backwards. Sharp-edged icicles then followed the wind and tore at his body, making him writhe in pain.

"Seifer…how could you…hurt me…" came Quistis' voice. It made Seifer looked at her in shock. He stared as her blue eyes gazed hurtfully at him.

"Instructor, I…I didn't mean—"he was sprawled on the ground with an icicle sticking out of his left shoulder but he barely registered the pain. The knowledge that he'd hurt Quistis was more painful than the mortal wounds he was suffering from.

_I…don't…care._ He thought feverishly. He really didn't.

_But dammit, why do I feel so horrible?_

"Do you…hate me, Seifie?" she asked innocently.

Seifer grappled uselessly at her. Her reference to his childhood nickname was like a knife through his heart. He closed his eyes and saw the seven-year-old Quistis crying in his arms, wet cerulean eyes gazing back sorrowfully at him. She'd cried because Squall was gone. And he'd comforted her even though he hated Squall. He didn't know why he did it. It just felt…right. And she'd cried so much, he was afraid she'd die from grief. So he held on to her, making sure that she would stay.

Even now, he still didn't understand. And that scared him. And then, fear turned to hatred. He'd hated her. Hated her because she never made him understand.

But maybe, if he just peeled off all the layers of hatred and pain created over the years, he'd have find out that he actually cared about her. Cared not for Instructor Trepe or Quistis Trepe, the honorary SeeD. But cared for the crying seven-year-old Quisty.

Too late.

He tried to reach for her but he was immobile. It seemed that every bone in his body was broken. He could barely even sit up properly. "Quisty, I'm—I'm sorry. I didn't mean—to hurt you."

Quistis' eyes filled with tears. "You hate me? But you were the one who killed Squall. Squall, he loved me. He would never hate me. And I love him. But now he's gone. So I don't love anymore. I just hate. NOw I HatE You!" she threw back her head and laughed hysterically. "SeeD! hOw sTuPid! hOw paTheTic! I didn't know that you cared, Seifie."

Seifer let out growl. His eyes flashed with fury. "You—how dare you use her voice! You tricked me!"

The Sorceress laughed even harder. "oH, iT wAs fUn sEeiNg yOu so pItiFullY eMotIonAl, SeeD!" she taunted.

"I'm not a SeeD! And you're DEAD!" with his remaining strength, he raised Hyperion and pulled the secret catch that released the blade. It flew directly at the Sorceress. It caught her off guard. She barely had time to dodge and the blade sunk into her left shoulder.

She screamed and quickly pulled the blade out. She casted triple Curaga and watched as the wound stopped bleeding. The cut was still open, however. She glared at Seifer with contempt.

"Rot in hell." Seifer sneered before finally slumping on the ground.

Millennia stared at all the bodies scattered on the ground before her. he smiled in satisfaction. Then she remembered Leads. Her smile faltered and she turned to him. He would stay petrified unless someone cast Esuna on him. She debated whether to leave him or throw him away somewhere.

Then she felt the girl inside her stirred. She was trying to say something. Millennia concentrated and tried to listen to the trapped soul.

_Destroy…the one…that caused…all this._

_My ChiLd…whO dO yOu mEaN?_

But the girl was lost again. Millennia smiled again. She already felt the hatred. And she knew who it was aimed at. She began to walk away.

_I wIlL taKe cAre oF iT. as pAymEnt fOr yOuR bOdy._

She headed towards Balamb City.

~@~~@~~@~

Inside the Headmaster's office, Cid was desperately trying to make an international call. After twenty minutes of going through every department there is in Esthar, he finally reached Laguna's office.

The still youthful president of Esthar answered cheerfully. "This is Laguna. Is that you, Cid?"

"Laguna! Get me Squall! Quick!" Cid gasped urgently. There was silence on the other line. He could almost see Laguna frowning.

"What's the matter? You know you shouldn't mention him on the phone! Someone could've intercepted—"

"The Sorceress—Quistis—everyone—Garden—in danger—" Cid stammered. Then he heard some muffled sounds on the other line and immediately, Squall's voice came on.

"What happened?" he asked sharply.

"Squall, it's Quistis…she was possessed by the Sorceress! She's killing the other SeeDs!"

"Hang on. I'm coming right away." The line went dead.

~@~~@~~@~

"Are you _crazy? You can__not return! They'll have your head! I didn't rescue you so you could go back there and have them capture you again! The trouble I went through just to get you away from there! Feeding the computer with a fake tape, sending my best army officer, smuggling you into the airport…!" Laguna chased after his son, raging on endlessly, trying to stop Squall from leaving Esthar._

"I'm crazy? _I'm crazy? In case you didn't hear, there's a Sorceress on the loose at Balamb! And—and Quistis is in trouble! I can't abandon her! And my friends!" Squall yelled angrily. He reached the hangar and stormed inside the nearest airship._

The door closed right in Laguna's face and he watched, astonished, as the airship roared to life. In a few seconds, it had already flown away at full speed.

_Hang on, Quisty._ Squall thought desperately. _I'm coming for you. I'll return to you._

AN: Sorry for the late update. I've been busy and the lack of review didn't help either (hint hint) ^_^.

So anyway, here's the next part. R & R.


	8. A Blade Through My Heart

8: A Blade Through My Heart

Squall arrived at Garden and the first thing he saw was chaos. Injured students laid all over Garden, moaning in pain. Those who weren't so badly hurt helped the ones who were more severely injured. He stopped a pony-tailed girl with a bloody uniform on his way to the Infirmary.

"Where are the other SeeDs?" he asked.

"Most of them are in the Infirmary. They were the ones who got trashed the worst. Especially Cadet Almasy!"

Squall cursed under his breath. "What about Quis—the Sorceress? Where is she?"

The girl's eyes widened. "She—she was heading towards the city! So it was really Instructor Trepe? She's a Sorceress?"

Squall ignored her and dashed towards the parking lot. He hopped into a car and sped towards Balamb City. He prayed that he would arrive on time. He knew who her next target was.

President Soren Almasy.

~@~~@~~@~

Selphie opened one eye and saw white ceiling. She tried to lift her head but it was too heavy. She groaned and looked sideways. Irvine was lying on the bed next to her. Her lips trembled as she saw his bandaged torso. She remembered that he was hit by an ice spear right through there.

"Irvy?" she whispered weakly.

Irvine moaned. His eyes cracked open and rested on Selphie's face. "Sefie…what—"

"NO! let me out of this freaking place! I have to…stop her! Damnit, doc! Open this door!"

Their heads turned simultaneously towards the enraged Zell. He was pounding on the door, screaming insults at Dr. Kadowaki, who was standing on the other side of the door.

"Zell! You are not fully recovered yet! It's dangerous to go now!" Dr. Kadowaki said frantically. If he kept on pounding on the door like that, she was sure that it would break down.

"Dangerous? _Dangerous? Who the freaking hell cares if it's dangerous? Quisty needs me! Let me go, __now!" roared Zell._

"He's right." Selphie said suddenly. She was standing behind Zell, with Irvine supporting her. "We need to get to Quisty. She needs us. Doctor, I will blow this door up if you still refuse to unlock it." she said calmly, one hand outstretched. The palm of her hand was glowing with a mysterious red light.

Dr. Kadowaki sighed, defeated. She reached inside her white coat and produced a string of keys. Unlocking the door, she quietly said, "Come back unharmed, all of you."

As they ran out, they heard her voice again. "And please bring Quistis back."

~@~~@~~@~

The Sorceress had President Almasy tied on his chair with Quistis' whip. The sharp material was cutting into his flesh and he could feel a burning sensation where it had touched his skin.

Millennia smiled at him. "UnComFortAbLe, Mr. _President?_ it'S a sPeciaL wHip, mY dEar. iT iS mAde oF MarLboRo tEntAcLe. VerY PoiSonOus, I AssUrE yOu."

"Trepe! I will have you hanged if you don't let me go this instant!" Soren Almasy threatened.

"TrePe? qUisTis tRePe? I'm aFraId yoU haVe miStaKen. qUisTis tRePe is gOne! I aM SorCeRess Millennia!" to accentuate her point, she held out a palm and a ball of fire that looked nothing like the ordinary fire spell they used appeared. She smiled, and the fire turned into a block of ice, crashing to the ground like crystal.

Soren Almasy's eyes widened in shock. "S—Sorceress?" he stammered.

Millennia snickered as Soren Almasy visibly shook with fear. She leaned closer, so close that her breath tickled his cheek. "aNd dOn't ExPecT tHe SeeD to cOme aNd ResCue YoU bEcaUse ThEy aRe aLl DeaD!" she whispered.

"No, they're not." A cool voice said. Millennia whipped her head around and saw a black-clad teenager. She grinned.

"AnOthEr SeeD? hOw FooLisH of You To cOme HeRe, oNly to fInD yOur DeAth!"

Squall regarded her torn clothes and blood-stained hair. He gripped Lion Heart tightly, anger filling him.

_She's hurt._

"Let…him…go." he said. "Your fight is against SeeD."

"InTeResTing. yOu aRe SquAlL lEonHarT, tHe oNe wHo deFeatEd Ultimecia. buT eVen yOu aRe nO mAtcH foR Me!"

"Squall Leonhart? I thought…you were…dead." Soren Almasy wheezed out. He was losing consciousness.

Squall stared at him coldly. "You did, didn't you?"

"I will…take back…the punishment…if…you…defeat the…Sorceress."

Ignoring him, Squall turned back his attention towards Millennia, who was smirking in amusement. "DefEat Me? HaH! Meteor!"

Stones from the sky rained down on Squall and he gritted his teeth as countless meteor stones cut through him. He casted Curaga on himself. Before he could even heal completely, he was attacked once again by Demi. Then it was Ultima.

He sensed his Limit Break approaching but he refused to use it. He knew that he would hurt Quistis' body if he used Lion Heart.

_I have to find a way to defeat her without killing her._

Right.

"PaTheTic. iS tHat aLl yOu cAn dO? cLeaRly, I aM wAsTinG mY tImE oN yOu. diE, SeeD!" she raised a hand but Squall was quicker. He had summoned Shiva.

In a flash, Millennia was assaulted by ice as Shiva blasted her. She clutched her chest and almost lost her balance. Her eyes met Squall's and she began to whimper.

"Squall…" she whispered in Quistis' voice. "How could…you…"

It took every ounce of his self-control not to throw aside his gunblade and rush to her. He shook his head and met her eyes furiously. "No! Don't you even _dare!"_

"Help me, Squall!" she gasped out. "I…"

"Damnit, you evil witch! Stop using her voice!" Snarled him. He charged towards her and used Renzokuken. He didn't care. He just wanted her to stop…playing with him.

With the speed of lightning, she evaded. "mY deAr…hOw wOuLd yOu LikE tO dIe? FirE? iCe? buRiEd aLivE? I wOuLd gLadLy obLigE."

Squall lifted his gunblade, tip facing the Sorceress. His eyes were clear grey, with contempt burning behind them like sapphire fire. "You can't kill me. You couldn't even finish a low rank cadet like Seifer much less a SeeD like me." He challenged boldly.  

Millennia hissed. She flew upwards and stared at him hatefully. "ImPudEnt BeInG! sEe hOw I DesTroY yOu! CoMe tO mE, Eden!"

_Eden__…? What the—Hyne, Quistis must've had it junctioned to her. He watched helplessly as the mighty GF bore down upon him, ready to attack._

"Shell!" someone yelled just as Eden started attacking. It was useless. No spell worked against a GF. 

"Squall!" the same person screamed as he sank to the ground, almost blacking out. It sounded like Selphie. "Full-Cure!"

Warm light filled him and he felt fully revitalized. He turned to see Selphie, Irvine and Zell—all heavily bandaged—running towards him.

"sO, aLl oF yOu fiLtHy SeeD aRe hErE!" 

"Let our Quisty go!" Selphie yelled angrily. She whipped out her nunchaku and crouched in a fighting stance. Irvine loaded his gun and Zell was holding himself in a readying position.

"yOuR sTuPidIty AmuSes mE! buT aLas! iT maKes mY jOb eAsIer! Apocalypse!"

Their damage was minimized, thanks to Shell. But it was still severe, considering the fact that Apocalypse was the ultimate spell. By the time it was done, everybody was ready to use their Limit Breaks.

"Don't kill her! Just enough to weaken her!" Squall shouted as everyone used their Limit Breaks.

Angered, Millennia summoned Eden again. She could feel her strength faltering but smiled in satisfaction as she watched two of the SeeDs fell unconscious. They had no time to heal after her last attack and were now weak.

"StaY wItH mE, Eden." She commanded softly and Eden hovered behind her like a shadow of Death itself. Millennia threw her hands heavenwards and the roof of the President's office collapsed, sending showers of concrete raining on the SeeDs.

 "ComE tO mE, mY fAitHfuL pEt…anSweR mY cALL, Tiamat!"

The sky seemed to open. Black clouds swirled on top of them and bolts of blue-white lightning flashed threateningly. A distant roar was heard and a moment later, the powerful and legendary dragon emerged from it. It roared again, causing the grounds to shake.

"No." Squall whispered. "That's not possible. Tiamat—is not a GF!"

"fOoLisH SeeD. Tiamat wAs oNcE a poWerFuL GF…bUt hE hAs dEciDeD tO brEaK oUt oF mAn'S cOnTroL. nOw hE OnLy seRvEs mE, tHe oNe wHo hAd sWoRn tO RiD oF aLL tHe fiLthY SeeDs!" 

Things weren't looking too good for the SeeDs. What chance have you got against both Eden and Tiamat? Still, they had to try.

Squall stared helplessly at Selphie and Irvine, who had fallen. He glanced at Zell. "Zell, what GF have you got junctioned?"

"Cactuar, Tonberry, Alexander and…Leviathan!"

"Summon Leviathan!" Squall shouted as he summoned Quetzalcoatl. He still had Bahamut but refused to call upon it, afraid that the damage done would be lethal.

The lightning GF and water serpent combined powers and flew up to attack Eden and Tiamat. The world seemed to tremble as the four GFs fought, wrestling with each other, trying to inflict the most damage.

Quetzalcoatl wrapped itself around Eden and attempted to electrocute it. Eden retaliated by unleashing its dark powers. Its grip loosened, Quetzalcoatl crashed down and disappeared. Leviathan coiled itself up and sent a spray of water towards Tiamat.

The impact of the high pressure water sent Tiamat flying backwards. It landed against Eden. Both GFs struggled to untangle themselves.

Seeing the opportunity, Squall summoned Diablos. Letting out a satisfied howl after finally being released, Diablos lifted one hand. He let out another howl and gigantic black bats gathered on the palm of its upraised palm.

A black ball of gravity energy formed and when it got big enough, Diablos hurled it towards both Eden and Tiamat. Eden disappeared. It was now only Tiamat left to battle the two GFs.

It threw back its head and Squall heard it made a sound that was suspiciously like a laugh. Its throat bulged. Leviathan and Diablos readied to attack.

Then Tiamat let loose a massive white ball and with a flash, both Leviathan and Diablos disappeared.

"exCeLLeNt, Tiamat. nOw, deStrOy tHe SeeDs tHaT wE hAtE sO mUcH!"

Tiamat lifted its wings. It wrapped them around itself and charged down with frightening speed. Squall, sensing no other alternatives, summoned Bahamut.

A blinding light, then Bahamut and Tiamat were locked together by their horns. Bahamut let out a steam of breath and opened his mouth. A bright red laser appeared. Tiamat also countered with its own ball of light.

Both energy collided and exploded. The momentum of the explosion sent everything around them flying into nothingness.

The two dragons roared. Bahamut flew higher into the sky and rocketed down with the speed of a falling meteor. Its horn connected with Tiamat's and a loud, sickening crunch was heard. Tiamat howled in pain. It began to retreat but Bahamut spread out its wings into a shape that Squall recognized.

Mega Flare.

Soon enough, Tiamat had faded with the indistinct stench of scorched flesh. 

Millennia's self-satisfied smirk was wiped from her face. She stared at the great Bahamut fearfully and her eyes trailed down towards Squall. It filled with abhorrence.

"fiLtHy SeeD!" she spat out and casted Apocalypse on him.

Bahamut suddenly flew in front of its master and the spell hit it instead.

"Bahamut!" Squall exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

In reply, it shook its head and leapt towards Millennia. It was at that exact time that the sky opened up again. But instead of Tiamat, a dozen swords rained down to form a circle around the Sorceress.

Gilgamesh appeared, wrapped in red cloth. It picked up a sword—Excalibur—and swung it towards Millennia.

Millennia screamed as she was attacked by both GFs. She then fell to the ground like a fallen bird. She had barely lifted her head when she felt the cold tip of Squall's gunblade against her neck.

"Get out of her."

She tried one last time to wheedle her way out. "Squall, you wouldn't!" she said in Quistis' voice.

"GET OUT OF HER!" 

She knew when to accept defeat. But still, she wanted to fight. Fight until her last breath. "nO. _nO!_ jUsT bEcaUse Ultimecia sTraYed fRoM tHe rIghTfuL SorCerY pAth, yOu wAnT tO wiPe mY kInD oUt of tHe fAcE oF tHe eArTh! SorCeRessEs aRe nOt eViL! SeeDs aRe! wHy cAn yOu nOt LiVe PeaCefUlLy witH uS?"

"What are you talking about?" Zell demanded uneasily. Squall shifted his eyes towards him. He himself was wondering what the Sorceress meant.

Millennia smiled mockingly. "tHe fUtUrE SeeD wIlL eVoLvE! thEir oNlY mIsSiOn…iS tO dEsTrOy aLl SorCerEsseS. mY kInD wAs kIlLed…in cOLd-bLooD…wE nEveR dId anYthIng…wRonG…sTilL hAvE tO pAy…fOr oUr aNceStoR's…sIns…"

"You lie!" Squall hissed. "You'll say anything to save yourself!"

"LiE? nO, wHy wOuLd I LiE nOw? iT iS aLrEaDy uSeLesS…tHiS boDy…iS dYiNg…"

"Shut up. Shut the hell _up!_" yelled Zell angrily. "We'll get you out! We'll save Quisty!"

Millennia tried to laugh but coughed out blood instead. She lifted her eyes sultrily at the two young men in front of her. "I'm aFraId…tHat's nOt pOsSib—"

She never get to finish her sentence because, at that time, a gunblade had been shoved right through her chest. She paused, staring blankly at Squall and with a last mocking smile, sank lifelessly to the ground.

AN: I've tried SO hard to write the battle scenes and, as usual, had to rewrite it for like a dozen times. Anyway, hope you like this chapter. *MUST remind self not to write battle scenes anymore* ^_^


	9. Until The End of Time

9: Until the End of Time

_"Quisty!!!!!"_Squall dove down and cradled her body in his arms. With shaking hands, he carefully extracted the black gunblade out of her. Quistis screamed in agony and blood spurted out of her mouth.

Zell turned to her assailant. Reyes Leads.

"You freaking bastard!" he roared furiously and landed a blow squarely on Leads' jaw. Rage must've strengthened his punch. Leads was already sprawled on the ground, unmoving.

"Quisty…please, open your eyes." Squall was pleading. He stroked her cheek tenderly. Red tainted her perfect face. He glanced down at his hands. The leather glove was soaked in blood. Her blood. It just won't stop flowing.

Then he saw her eyelids flutter. Slowly—as if it was excruciatingly painful to do so—she opened her eyes.

"Squall?" she whispered softly.

He held her hand tightly. "Yes, it's me."

"Is she…gone?"

He nodded, afraid to speak. His voice might betray him.

"Where are…everyone else?" she shifted and saw Zell kneeling beside her. Behind him, Selphie and Irvine were stirring. She smiled serenely at them all. "You are all…heroes…I'm so…proud of you…I can now…leave…peacefully."

"No, Quisty! Don't say that! You're going to be okay!" Zell was shamelessly crying. He gripped Quistis' other hand and willed her to hold on. If only…he could give half of his life to her, he would not hesitate to do so. But he couldn't. He could only watch her die.

Die.

She wasn't going to make it.

He pulled back. He knew now with dead certainty that she was going to leave them all forever. And accepting it was like swallowing acid, slowly burning his insides. Quistis' eyes filled suddenly and a tear slid down her cheek. It was as if she too felt his pain. 

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

"No, Quisty, I—"  

"Quisty!!" instantly, Selphie and Irvine appeared by her side. Selphie sobbed uncontrollably. "No, Quisty! No!"

"Quis…"Irvine croaked.

"You guys…are the best friends…a girl could have…Sefie…don't stop believing…that the world…is a wonderful place…don't…lose…to despair…Irvy…please…watch over her…Zell…always…believe…in yourself…and tell Seifer…that I never…blamed him…promise me…all of you."

"We promise." Selphie said tearfully. 

"Yeah, Quisty. Promise." Irvine echoed.

"Promise." Zell managed to choke out.

Quistis smiled. She turned to Squall. He was gazing at her with such anguish in his eyes…

"Squall…?"

"…yes?"

"Remember…when I said…I lived…for myself…and will die…for myself?"

"Yes, how could I forget?" he replied softly.

"I…lied…always…always…I had lived…for you…and now…I'll die…for the world…I—"Squall felt her shudder. Her chest rose and her breathing caught in her throat. He was losing her.

"Quisty, stop. Stop talking."

She reached out a hand and put it on his face. One thumb was gently caressing his cheek. He could feel his own tears there. He had not realized he had shed them.

"Shh, my darling…don't cry." Quistis whispered. "Remember…I will always…love you…my brave…lion."

"I'll love you too…until the end of time."

She smiled, as if reassured. Finally, she closed her eyes. Quistis took one last breath. Her back arched and then…she was gone.

Selphie sobbed even louder. She turned into Irvine's embrace and let her tears soak his tan coat. He held closer, as if afraid that she, too, would leave. Zell had jumped up and was punching the wall until his knuckles bled. But he didn't care. He just kept on punching it.

Squall closed his eyes, letting the last of his tear trickle down. He opened them again and gazed down at Quistis' peaceful face. Gently, he laid her down.

He was about to stand up when he saw her whole body glowing. He stared, mesmerized, as the light got brighter until it blinded him. Shielding his eyes, he watched her body being lifted into the air, seemingly carried by invisible hands.

And then, in a flash of bright light, she was gone. And her voice echoed in the air.

_"I will always…love you…"_

Yuki: Well, that's it. Actually, there's a sequel for this fic but I'm not sure about posting it just yet. Right now, I'm thinking of doing a Seiftis. I don't know. I read an excellent Seiftis fic and got inspired. ^_^ . Anyway, it's going to be lighter. None of that dark romance stuff in this fic.


End file.
